The present invention concerns subject matter submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in August, 1984 under the Disclosure Document Program, and assigned document No. 130,333.
The invention in general concerns blocks for vehicle wheels, and in particular wheel chock blocks primarily comprising foam plastics which are ultra-lightweight and very inexpensive to produce.
Wheel chocks are generally well-known for operative association with vehicle wheels so as to lock such wheels securely in place. They may typically be constructed as a triangular arrangement with a flat bottom for resting usually on a common surface with the wheel to be secured in place, an angled or straight back, and a contoured or flat surface for connecting the bottom and angled back surfaces and for engaging a vehicle wheel. Individual blocks may comprise conventionally heavy duty rubber materials, and steel or aluminum materials, and be of either solid or open constructions. Such blocks often may range in weight from several pounds up to 10 pounds each. Furthermore, because of their particular configurations and different engagement surfaces or the like, such blocks may require time-consuming metal working or other fabrication techniques, and thus be relatively expensive to manufacture with a resulting high cost for consumers.
Wheel chocks may also be constructed from other materials, such as solid urethane or polyurethane but still may weigh as much as 51/2 pounds each, and often feature a transverse hole lined with a steel sleeve or the like to provide extra strength It is also not uncommon for chocks made of such material to be larger than some chocks made of rubber or various metals, to apparently compensate for lack of effective strength sufficient to constitute a practical chock block for engaging and supporting (i.e. stopping) vehicle wheels.